Should You Be Thankful for Pain?
With Thanksgiving Day fast approaching, we’re often directed to reflect on things we’re grateful for. If I were to hazard a guess, I bet you’ve never thought to include PAIN on your “I’m thankful for…” list.
Our bodies were created with the ability to feel pain. And since God creates only good things, pain must somehow be good. So, if so, how so?
Pain’s greatest benefit is its ability to make you mentally aware that something has gone awry amongst the parts in your body. Just as the dashboard warning lights in your car give you a visual prompting to check into a particular system, pain gives you discomforting sensations which alert you to the fact that something in your body is not happy and healthy.
When your body gets your attention by creating pain (or possibly tingling, numbness, or burning sensations), you typically respond by changing positions, stopping your present activity, or popping some over-the-counter, pain-dampening medication. Occasional or intermittent pain can be tolerated/managed for a while, but when pain changes from intermittent to constant, your body is screaming, I need intervention NOW! This is the time when most patients call their doctor, begin prescriptions medications, and are referred to my office for treatment.
People suffering from leprosy or diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage that results from long-term, poorly controlled diabetes) would be the first to tell you that pain perception is a gift. Because both of these diseases rob their hosts of their ability to feel pain, these folks are unable to feel the pebble in their shoe or their finger being burnt on a hot stove. This pain-perception deficit results in significant injury to their bodies because they’re completely unaware the damage is even occurring!
Pain’s “gift” lies in the fact that it protects you from harm, limits movements which may produce further harm to your body, and, thankfully, causes you to seek out medical attention.
This year, as your family takes turns around the table sharing things for which they are thankful for, go ahead and give thanks for the ability to experience pain!